Dr Evelyne Mbandi is the new Chairperson for the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene and a strong advocate for young women who want to pursue careers in the sciences. In recognition of the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, we asked Dr Mbandi how she became a scientist and why and how we should support young women who want to follow a scientific path. Q. Evelyne, can you tell us about where you grew up and how you came [...]

On 10 February, the FAO-hosted World Pulses Day will “raise public awareness about pulses and the fundamental role they play in the transformation to more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems for better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.” Defined by FAO as “the edible seeds of leguminous plants cultivated for both food and feed,” pulses include dry beans, lentils, dry peas and chickpeas. They are grown, eaten and traded the world [...]

The Codex Trust Fund (CTF) supports low- and middle-income countries to participate more effectively in the work of Codex. The Fund is currently supporting over 30 projects across the world that will bolster national Codex structures and improve capacities to provide scientific data, to contribute to meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), its subsidiary bodies and working groups, and to ensure countries benefit from their membership of Codex to protect consumer health and increase access to fair trade. The CTF [...]

The seventh meeting of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH7), which is hosted by the Government of India, has concluded in Kochi, Kerala, India, with agreement to forward three texts to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) for adoption, and to start new work on four different spices or culinary herbs. The Committee agreed to forward to CAC47 for final adoption the draft standard for dried small cardamom (at Step 8), the draft standard for spices in the form [...]

Codex Members and Observers gathered today for the seventh session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH7) in Kochi, Kerala, India. Dr. Shri. Amardeep Singh Bhatia, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce of India, welcomed the participants recalling that “India took the lead of establishing this committee ten years ago, in 2013”. During the opening ceremony, Ms Hilde Kruse,  Senior Food Standards Officer with the Codex Secretariat, recognized the importance of the work carried out by [...]

The Seventh Session of the Codex Committee on Spices and Culinary Herbs (CCSCH7), 29 January – 2 February 2024, Kochi, Kerala, India, will open the 2024 cycle of meetings of Codex Subsidiary Bodies. We sat down with M.R. Sudharshan, Chairperson of CCSCH, to talk about the Committee, its current and future work, and the tasteful and colorful world of spices. Q. Sri Sudharshan, thank you for your time. CCSCH is the most recently formed commodity committee in Codex and you have been [...]

The "Action to support implementation of Codex AMR texts (ACT)" project leveraged World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) 2023 as an opportunity to highlight the key role of prevention in tackling the issue of drug-resistant infections transmitted through food. During WAAW 2023 the ACT project supported the Plurinational State of Bolivia, Cambodia, Colombia, Mongolia, Nepal, and Pakistan to raise awareness about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and foster collaboration with stakeholders. Bolivia and Colombia prioritized strengthening inter-institutional work In coordination with the government agencies, FAO [...]

This edition of the Codex podcast highlights the results of the 46th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which adopted 500 new and revised Codex standards - including numerical standards - guidelines and codes of practice. We talk to Steve Wearne, Chairperson of CAC, United Kingdom, and Sarah Cahill, Senior Food Standards Officer, looking back to what happened at CAC46, 60 years of Codex and looking forward to the new work and meetings in 2024. “My wish for Codex Members and [...]

Throughout this year, Codex Members and Observers have celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), which held its first meeting in June 1963. The celebrations began in January at the FAO/WHO Coordinating Committee for North America and the South West Pacific, in Fiji, and then continued across the world and in the various Codex regions, before culminating in the opening ceremony of the 46th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC46).  A 60-year journey that has witnessed the transformation and [...]

Earlier this month, the 46th Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission agreed to adopt key new guidelines on the safe use and re-use of water in food production and processing. These guidelines provide a framework of general principles and examples for applying a risk-based approach to determine if the water to be sourced, used, and re-used by food business operators involved in food production and processing is fit for purpose from a microbiological safety perspective. “Access to potable water is not always [...]